


Book of Bending: Their Story

by ZelKara



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: AU - Avatar the Last Airbender, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Angst, Bending (Avatar), Bloodbending (Avatar), Dark Past, Earthbending & Earthbenders, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Firebending & Firebenders, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, I promise, Light Angst, M/M, Original Character(s), Other ATLA characters and Untamed Cast will appear, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Politics, Secrets, Slow To Update, Waterbending & Waterbenders, cuz school, still being updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZelKara/pseuds/ZelKara
Summary: Xiao Zhan had to hide almost all his life. He hid his loneliness from his mother, his turmoil from himself, and his waterbending from the world. Until he couldn't.Wang Yibo was hailed as a boy able to continue his father's legacy as a Fire Nation Admiral, but the Fire Nation was defeated and death tolls were left in its wake. Why would he want to continue his father's legacy of murder? Now shunned, he hides his firebending and family heritage from the world. Until he can't.
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan
Comments: 23
Kudos: 40
Collections: BJYX Prompt Fest 2020





	1. Family Background: Xiao Zhan

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [bjyx_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjyx_fest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> ATLA AU. Set around 10-15 years after the war ended. 
> 
> Xiao Zhan, whose mother left the Northern Water Tribe before the Fire Nation attacked, is a Waterbender who knows how to heal and bloodbend. He moved to Republic City to find new opportunities.
> 
> Wang Yibo is a firebender and was the son of a general who contributed to the Fire Nation's Imperialism. He moves to Republic City to have a normal life and not be known as the son of a person who caused the deaths of many. 
> 
> They meet.
> 
> (Lots of adventure, politics, and romance. And maybe along the way they realize that all they really needed was a companion.)
> 
> note to writer/s: happy ending and no major character death please. add other characters (Untamed cast or ATLA character) as you please. can be plot driven. rating is up to you.
> 
> Hello there! I hope you enjoy this story!
> 
> Disclaimer: I haven't watch ATLA in a while, I haven't finished Legend of Korra, I don't read the graphic novels, and I don't have all that much time to do so. I'll be using the extensive fandom Wikipedia as my source and my own imagination for the rest. This will not follow the plot of the graphic novels or Korra. Sorry if that's not your thing, I just don't think I have the capacity to write something that accurately follows things so closely in line to a very well established fandom. This can be considered a side story I guess? Idk. Hope you enjoy it regardless! 
> 
> Chapters will be updated as I write them, but I'm pretty busy, so there won't be a set time. The first two chapters are like a prologue, to set the stage and let the prompter and others be introduced to the world.

The Northern Water Tribe had been thriving in its isolation. Building up walls and cutting themselves off from the rest of the world had its merits. They were safe from the outside; but that didn't mean they were safe from each other.

\-----------------------

One woman had been working tirelessly in the city of Agna Qel'a*. She was a waterbender that specialized in healing wounds, as was the role of her gender. She was a regular doctor in the hospital. Her name was Xiao MeiLing*. This name meant to be beautiful and delicate, but she was affectionately called XiàoXiǎo*. This nickname stemmed from the character of her surname, which meant "be like" and the character for little. They were essentially calling her little, but also telling anyone who passed by her that they should be more like her. She was an unspoken hero, saving soldiers brought back from their missions near death, and pulling them back from the brink countless times despite being a short and slim woman with delicate features that mostly kept to herself. This woman, admired by many, though, had secrets.

Women in the Northern Water Tribe were not allowed to learn martial bending. Despite that, Xiao MeiLing was secretly practising not only fighting techniques, but bloodbending techniques passed on by her father. She was forced by her father since she was a child to train in these forbidden techniques. He explained it was for her own safety that she learned to defend herself. She wasn't allowed to ask questions though.

\-----------------------

Her father, was born and raised in the Northern Water Tribe and established himself as an esteemed waterbender for the chief. Although the Northern Water Tribe remained out of the war for almost 50 years at this point, they still sent spies to other lands to gather information on the movement of the Fire Nation. Her father had been one of few selected to venture past the boarders as a secret soldier to gather information about the Fire Nation's movements throughout the Earth Kingdom for the sake of the safety of the Northern Water Tribe's population. As a young man of only 20 when he began, he was enthusiastic about his assignment. He took it seriously and was stationed in a Fire Nation Colonial Village east of the Western Air Temple as a city guard without bending abilities.

When he came back to the Northern Water Tribe after 6 years, he was brought in on a stretcher with burns all over his chest and back. He'd been discovered after using his water bending to fight off some of his fellow soldiers that were preying on women. He would tell you he was acting out of respect for women, but he knew he wasn't being careful. He knew he was worn down and careless after so many years undercover. He wanted to go home. Or did he?

He quickly got married to the beautiful waterbender healer who had nursed him back to health. They had one child, a daughter, who sadly claimed the life of her mother during her birth. Since then, it had only been little MeiLing and her father who after returning became a trusted aid to the chief in terms of political viewpoints. He knew many secrets he probably shouldn't.

\-----------------------

Lately, the whole city had been in unrest. It was the year 98 AG* and Xiao MeiLing walked to the hospital early in the morning. It was only around 4am and even though she was used to the bitter cold of the north, usually she was able to stave it off, but not today. There was a chill settled into her bones to their very depths that she believed had nothing to do with the below freezing temperatures. This was dread.

All her life she pretended to be innocent. Yes, she learnt martial techniques and bloodbending secretly, but she was a very morally upright person who looked to help people first and foremost. At a young age she had married a prestigious martial waterbending teacher. He was a strict teacher who wanted everyone to succeed in waterbending for the sake of the nation. When they had their son in the year 93 AG, MeiLing had fought her husband hard to allow him to take her surname. Reluctantly, her husband eventually agreed and seemed to distance himself from his son, Xiào Zhàn*. When MeiLing was asked why she named the boy "war" she said she liked the pronunciation of Zan, but worried it would be too hard to write in the future, so she went with a close sounding character. The truth though, was that she knew more than she let her father and even her husband know. She wanted to give the boy a will to fight in his future. He'd probably need it.

Her son was 5 years old now, and MeiLing had been training him in healing, martial, and bloodbending behind her husband's back before he had died of illness. Her husband tended to focus on the students that were old enough to learn then, and when he passed away when Xiao Zhan was three, there was no one to hold her back. MeiLing stressed to Xiao Zhan everyday that he mustn't ever tell his father what he learned while he was still alive, or anyone what he learned from her. Especially the bloodbending. He wasn't anywhere near a master, but he had all the potential to be one in the future under careful tutelage, and MeiLing, who was secretly a master at all the things she practiced from her father, was just the person to teach him. Just like her father though, she never told the boy why he had to learn these things. He didn't question it. But one day he would.

As Xiao MeiLing was about to round the corner to the hospital, she paused on instinct. In the street in front of the hospital laid men on stretchers groaning in pain. She immediately wanted to step forward and help, but stopped when she saw Captain Liu Hui standing amongst a group of soldiers.

"I can't believe he'd betray us; That he'd betray our nation to those filthy Fire Nation imperialists. I guess being a spy for one nation can turn him into a spy for the other. Look at all these men he hurt in his escape. And his daughter? I always admired her, but how could she stand by and do nothing when her father would tell that bastard Admiral Zhao about the Spirit Oasis* and any other weaknesses he could find? Has she no shame? We need to take her in and question her. We all witnessed how he could bloodbend, she could be the same. No wonder she was always able to save the people we thought were on the point of death! She used dark arts right under our noses! She's probably been raised since she was young to be a spy if her father was to ever die! She'd continue his legacy of betrayal! She needs to be tortured for information! We need to know everything, and then the Xiao bloodline must end!"

Xiao MeiLing swallowed her breath as she listened only a moment longer as the captain began to issue orders to gather troops to surround her house and take her by force. If only they knew she came early every morning to help people with her bending. If she didn't, she wouldn't have heard them. There was still time, she thought to herself as she back stepped in her soft moccasins before turning and running hunched over to her house silently through the night. When she arrived, she looked to make sure all was clear as she stormed through the door and went immediately to Xiao Zhan's room.

She shook the sleeping boy harshly, who woke with a start, staring at his mother blearily. "Come." was what she said, and Xiao Zhan obeyed, too tired to even try to argue. MeiLing put a finger to her lips to indicate that Xiao Zhan was to be quiet, and that got his mind whirring, as he had no idea why he had to be quiet in an otherwise empty house. His mother led him to a corner of the house in the living room where she pulled a wall panel away to reveal a small metal compartment with a single key hole. "Fill this with water" MeiLing instructed her son as she handed him a single cup stashed on top of the safe. Xiao Zhan obliged, quickly running to the kitchen sink before running back with the glass full of water. His mother left the cup in his hands as she lifted the water out of the cup and shaped it into a key with a small hollow cylinder at the top. She quickly froze the water into the shape she'd bent and then handed it to Xiao Zhan while she took the cup. He cradled it gently in his small hands, still dazed as to what was going on as he watched his mother lift a single drop of water that remained in the cup and lengthen it into a sharp needle before also freezing it. He watched as his mother pricked her finger and then let the needle fall to the floor as she reached out with her left hand and took the key from Xiao Zhan. She willed a drop of blood from her pricked index finger on her right hand to settle into the hollow nook at the top of the key before she inserted it into the keyhole. Xiao Zhan felt a cold shiver run through his body as his mother twisted the key. He had only been taught a few basic bloodbending principles thus far, but what he saw his mother doing seemed to be her forcing that single drop of blood inside the lock of the metal compartment to work it open from the inside. Or something? If she was using blood instead of water, maybe it only worked if it was her blood? He thought. He was a bright boy, but what she was doing still seemed to allude him in his understanding, but he was currently too scared to utter a word as the compartment swung open and two small backpacks were revealed squished together inside the cube of metal. His mother wordlessly grabbed the packs and then stomped on the key she'd made before dissolving it back into liquid. She grabbed his hand and ushered him out the back door without a single glance back through the house.

She led him through back streets, dragging him along. Xiao Zhan was smart enough to see the panic and desperation in his mother's eyes to listen to her every order to the dot. She brought him to a section of wall that faced out towards the ocean. His mother looked down at the small gap between the wall and the land before using her bending to unfreeze the land slightly, revealing a tunnel. These tunnels were used to regulate the water level inside the walls by valves and adjacent channels. It was big enough that a person could fit through it lying down and could be widened in case more water needed to be let in or out. MeiLing immediately took water and created a thin sheet of ice with small railings. She grasped Xiao Zhan's wrist and threw him onto the makeshift boat before laying on top of him without squishing him. She began to use the water underneath the boat to propel them through the tunnel, blocking off channels and reshaping valves as she went in order to get through.

When they reached the other side of the wall, they were drenched, having been submerged multiple times by the ice water when traversing the tunnel since the water level outside the walls was slightly higher than that of inside the wall. Xiao Zhan now felt chilled to the bone. He was shaking, teeth chattering, as he watched his own breath come out in dense clouds. The cold was making him physically chilled, but dread and confusion made him emotionally so. He tried to look up at his mother before she shushed him and began to propel the boat rapidly forward. Water whipped Xiao Zhan in the face as they sped off into the distance as fast as possible. The only warmth Xiao Zhan felt besides his mother's body were the tears streaming from his eyes as he sobbed silently while his mom was busy getting them to safety.


	2. Family Background: Wang Yibo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there
> 
> In this chapter is my first attempt at a firebending battle. They will possibly be more complex in the future, and if you have any suggestions for improvements, let me know! 
> 
> This is kind of a dark chapter. Their backgrounds are kind of dark in general. Oh well, hope it's still interesting.

When the war started, it was only to be expected that they would need capable and callous people to lead the massacres of the Air Nomads. One of these people, was Admiral Chan. His real name was Wáng Chén*, but at a young age in his military career he'd started going by just "Chan". He changed it because he hated the meaning of his name. He was going to be an admiral, and an admiral was there to give orders, not make small talk thank you very much. After many years of difficult training under numerous firebending masters, he was deemed suitably brutal enough to lead an army and was tasked with the slaughter of the air nomads of the Eastern Air Temple*.

He rounded up as many women as he could find and brutally slaughtered them. He burned them alive, scattering their ashes through the wind and trampling on their brittle remains with relish. His reputation of brutality spread far and wide and he was hailed and admired as the ideal soldier. He himself didn't admire himself, he glorified himself. That's why when he had his son he had named him Wang Chan. He wanted him to be just like him, but Admiral Chan was away from home fighting to take over more of the Earth Kingdom for the sake of the Fire Nation. He wasn't able to teach his son everything he wanted to teach him, and the boy turned out soft. And stupid. That's why, as he walked through the remains of the Fire Nation town of Bai Jia*, he picked up the children.

There had been a counterattack by some earthbenders in the year 55 AG at a small island situated between Roku's island* and the Earth Kingdom called Dong Dao*. Here, they found the tiny settlement of Bai Jia and used their abilities to thrust boulders up into the air and land on the outskirts of town, startling the residents into emerging before restraining them in the earth and slitting their throats. When others began to see this, they had run in terror, but were pursued mercilessly. The only survivors were 4 baby boys hidden in a basement of a tea shop.

When Admiral Chan had heard the crying, he first wanted to crush the heads of whatever was making that god awful noise, but as his troops dug through the remains of the shop and bound a pit of metal with babies within, he considered something. He was getting up there in years. He wasn't as spry as he used to be. His son, Wang Chan, had been raised by his mother, so he was more like her than he was like his father. But maybe, if Admiral Chan himself raised these boys, at least one of them might turn out like him. His lips had curled into a smile as he ordered his men to take the boys back to the ship and hire a wet nurse for the upcoming journey. He only told his most trusted subordinates, and they obeyed. If word of this ever got back to the Fire Lord, he'd be executed for treason for enslaving Fire Nation residents. Admiral Chan glorified himself, sure, but he worshipped the Fire Lord. He wanted the Fire Lord to have more loyal servants, that was the real reason he took the boys.

He named the boys by their size when he had first found them, laying their beds in order and branding them with a number on their left shoulder. All the boys were named Wang Chen. However, depending on their number, he'd add it to the end. So there was Wang ChenYi, Wang ChenEr, Wang ChenSan, and Wang ChenSi*. After the boys were no longer reliant on the wet nurse, the wet nurse was killed. He had his most trusted men and himself rotate out in taking care of them until they were old enough to be taught. Then, it was time for indoctrination. They were taught strategy, that the Fire Lord was essentially the God of the world. The Avatar was the enemy. They were taught how to fight, how to be brutal, how to be charming. They were taught how to firebend and fight. If they didn't live up to expectations, they were punished. It was discovered early on that Wang ChenEr was not able to firebend. His punishment was 300 lashes and burning alive. He was burned alive by the other Wang Chen's. That was their first practical lesson in firebending.

Wang ChenSan had found a bird when they had stopped at an island to refuel. He had always been a little soft; Always tried to get out of hurting others. Admiral Chan couldn't have that, and when he found the bird the boy had kept, he clipped the birds wings, removed its feet and threw it from the top of the boat, telling it to fly. He then turned to Wang ChenSan, and kicked him off the top of the boat to the deck below to follow his bird in flight. Neither succeeded.

Wang ChenYi and Wang ChenSi were the only two remaining, and they were equally competent and brutal. There was nothing that one could do that the other wouldn't try. They had burned each other multiple times and had been bitter rivals since the other two had died. Even earlier really since they were the only two who weren't failures. Admiral Chan had considered keeping both of them, as they were both equally brutal and met his expectations wonderfully. They slaughtered women, children, and men and reveled in their ashes just as he had, but there was the small problem of how competitive they were. If he let one lead, the other would also need to lead. Since what he had done had been illegal in the first place, he couldn't keep them both. So, he did what any logical man would do and had them fight to the death.

The Agni Kai* was set to happen on the boat while it was out at sea at sunset. All the other soldiers were spectators and Admiral Chan was the referee. Not that there was really any rules, other than one must die.

Wang ChenSi started the battle with the first move, sweeping out with a blazing ring kick of fire, trying to throw Wang ChenYi off balance. Wang ChenYi quickly blocked his flame and side-stepped from Wang ChenSi's fire stream aimed at his head. With precise movements, Wang ChenYi was only defending against his opponent, not letting a single flame even lap at his clothing. He moved around swiftly as Wang ChenSi began to move to the center of the "arena" and Wang ChenYi was circling him. Wang ChenSi hadn't noticed that the circle was getting noticeably smaller as he continued to let out attack after attack, drawing on any and all sources of fire from on the boat and within himself. When he finally noticed, a note of panic appeared in his eyes as he immediately arose a wall of flames in front of him, intending to back off, but Wang ChenYi had been prepared and lashed out with intent of fire augmentation. He tore a hole through the wall of flames and sent a pressurized jet of flames at Wang ChenSi who had been running to the edge of the boat. The flames hit him in the back, scorching his clothes and skin. He cried out in agony as he tried to grasp the edge of the boat for support, but Wang ChenYi wasn't done. Channeling lightning while the other was distracted, he aimed and fired at his opponent. He watched as the lightning entered his body and heard a crack in the air. He thought it was from the lightning itself, but it could very well have been Wang ChenSi's bones cracking. An unearthly scream of rage and pain echoed through the silent evening as Wang ChenSi's body was flung forward over the side of the boat and into the freezing water below. Wang ChenYi approached, looking over the edge to make sure his rival didn't emerge. There wasn't even a bubble of breath or a ripple in the water other than the waves after a few minutes. He'd won.

\-----------------------

Admiral Chan was pleased with his "son" and had him follow in his footsteps wherever he went, intending for the boy to take his place should he pass. He hadn't liked his name, but if the name was someone else's that could lead the way he wanted, he was satisfied. No one had to know he died, he could simply pass his role onto this clone.

Admiral Chan had intended to make loyal servants to the Fire Lord, but only succeeded in making one, but that one was the most loyal dog anyone could ask for.

\-----------------------

When Admiral Chan died, it was to a heart attack. Go figure. But regardless of the cause, Wang ChenYi, who shortened his name to Wang Chen took up place as Admiral Chan. His brutality and inhumanity spread far and wide. He'd trample dogs that got in front of him. He'd burn down schools of children and raid maternity wards to prevent earthbender babies from entering the world. He'd kill women in front of their husbands so the men would lose their will to fight. He'd imprison some to spend the rest of their days doing hard labor with little to no food or water. There was no one who could stand in his way.

However, he had the sense to consider his mentor and realize why he had taken the other boys in. He had to keep up not only the fighting for the fire lord, also appearances of loyalty as well for the citizens, so he had had a wife and child. Wang Chen decided to follow suit. He found a woman and used his taught charm to seduce her into being his wife. She was a sweet girl but a pushover, so he could have his way with raising the child the way he wanted. His wife had the child in 97 AG and he was named Wang Yibo*. The boy kept the last name Wang meaning king, and he added the character "Yi" as a reminder to himself about which one of the four boys he was. And "bo" intending to make the boy feel more powerful and in control and innovative than any other. He would be a King, even more so than Wang Chen was. Wang Chen had high hopes for his son.

Ever since Wang Yibo was born, he was hailed as a prodigy. Probably because when he was a baby, he sneezed and accidentally set the blanket on fire. He was a natural fire bender and would be able to serve the fire lord to the fullest standard of the nation. But then the Avatar awoke.

\-----------------------

Wang Chen was away from home more and more, desperately trying to stave off the invasion of the rebels, but to no avail. He had burned them as he always had, lining streets with bodies and crunching their flaky fresh under his boots. People that had never fought with him before retched in the streets as they watched him murder children in front of parents and parents in front of children. What a monster, they'd thought, and when the fire nation fell, "Admiral Chan" was imprisoned by Fire Lord Zuko and sentenced to death for war crimes.

\-----------------------

Wang Chen had been taught to use anything to his advantage. That's how he won the Agni Kai against Wang ChenSi. He used his surroundings as leverage. He had planned that fight for months before it happened. That's how he knew all the right things to do to escape from his imprisonment, but also all the right things to disappear after. He ran away from the life he'd had, ran away from death. Ran away from his son and left his reputation behind for the poor boy to carry alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 王 - Pronounced Wáng - means king or monarch  
> 陳 - Pronounced Chén - means to exhibit or describe  
> 一 - Pronouned Yī - means 1 or "a"  
> 博 - Pronounced Bó - means rich, plentiful, extensive, ample, win, get, aim, or obtain. 
> 
> 王一博 - Pronounced Wáng YīBó - means a powerful or innovative king (up for interpretation based on the solo characters) 
> 
> 王陳 - Pronounced Wáng Chén - means king of description. I made this name up as well. Wanted to have someone mentioned from the actual Fire Nation Navy and found Admiral Chan and let my imagination run wild. I thought this was funny because it is mentioned in the Wikipedia that he has lousy communication skills but if I add 王 to the character 陳 it essentially means king of explaining or communicating. Lol. The character 陳 is typically a surname, but I used it as a first name. No cultural misappropriation intended! 
> 
> Clarification: Admiral Chan was alive at the beginning of the 100 year war so he's too old to be Wang Yibo's father. He had a son also named the same as him, but he was a shown in the show to be quite young and an idiot. Go figure he named his child after him though. Anyways, the "original Wang Chen" is Admiral Chan, and then he has a bunch of apprentices that were supposed to take over for him. Shit went down, but they were all named Wang Chen. Yibo's dad is one of these disciples. The only one who survived. So there's Admiral Chan who's name is Wang Chen and Wang Chen 1-4. Yibo's dad is Wang Chen 1.Confused yet? Sorry .-.
> 
> *Eastern Air Temple - one of the four temples where airbenders resided. The North and South ones housed exclusively males, and the Western and Eastern ones housed exclusively females. The Eastern Air Temple is considered the most spiritual of them. 
> 
> *Bai Jia - I meant for this to mean "home to a hundred". Bai (Bǎi) means hundred, Jia (Jiā) means home. Literally translated it sounds like broken English, but it gets the meaning across I think, instead of being called YiBai Jia, which is accurately "Home to one hundred". Most of the names in the Fire Nation have two characters, so I stuck with that. 
> 
> *As far as I can tell, if you look at a map of the Avatar world, the smallest island east of the fire nation is Roku's island, who was the avatar before Aang. Further east of it is the Earth kingdom. So, I couldn't find an island or village that didn't already have a back story, so I made up the island in the note below
> 
> *Dong Dao - literally translates to East Island 
> 
> 一二三四 - 1,2,3,4 - Yī, èr, sān, sì
> 
> Agni Kai - Traditional firebending duel. Is won when one opponent burns the other. In this case though, Admiral Chan made it a fight to the death, so I guess its not really an Agni Kai? Idk


	3. Better off Alone: Part 1 - Xiao Zhan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I didn’t forget about this fic! Just not always able to write what I want. I’m going to try for one update every other week. Let me know if a certain day is preferred, otherwise it’ll just be whenever I have a chapter ready that week! Hope you enjoy! :D

The days passed in a blur after the initial departure. Blue water turned into pale sand and green grass but Xiao Zhan didn’t register anything but the ache of his feet and the stinging of the sun on his skin. They had been traveling for god knows how long. His tears had long dried up and he trudged along with his mother, step after agonizing step on an empty stomach towards nowhere in particular in silence. They hiked through impossibly steep mountains living on what vegetables and fruits they could find and the rare animal they were able to trap. Xiao MeiLing did all the work. She couldn’t force her young and inexperienced son to forage for food.

They made their way through the north mountains and came to a body of water after many days. Sun burnt and exhausted, they collapsed near the shore. Xiao Zhan remained silent. He refused to speak in case any of the words he uttered would upset his mother. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was shaken to the bone. Fleeing from the only home he’d ever known, he felt utterly alone and scared despite the constant presence of his mother and her gentle reassurances which eventually ceased. They built one of the rare fires his mother deemed allowed and they munched on roots and a fish his mother had caught. 

As the day grew to night, Xiao Zhan remained huddled by the fire near the shore. Distantly he could feel the pull of the half moon against the waves that lapped at the sand maybe a hundred meters from him. He stared at his mother across the fire who was looking into its flames as if maybe they would jump up at her. It was almost like she was waiting for them to do just that. Xiao Zhan waited for her to look his way, but her eyes remained glued to the flames, her irises reflecting their light. 

“Ma?” Xiao Zhan whispered, slightly hoarsely from a lack of using his voice. His mother flicked her gaze up to him as if she forgot he was there. “Hm?” 

“Are we going to Ba Sing Se?” 

“No.” 

“Why not?” He had heard it was considered one of the safest places in the earth kingdom.

“It’s walls would trap us, and there’s too many people. Too easy for them to blend in.” 

“Them?” 

She hesitated. “The people after us.” 

Xiao Zhan fought a blanche. “Why are they after us?” 

His mother remained silent for a while and Xiao Zhan thought she wouldn’t answer, but she did. “Because I did something I shouldn’t have. I’ll tell you when you’re older. For now, just trust me.” 

Xiao Zhan had only ever trusted his mother, all he could do was trust her now. He nodded and fell silent again. He stared at the fire until it died down to embers and he huddled as close as he could to the ashes for just a brief touch of warmth as he fell into another fitful sleep alongside his mother. 

~~~~~ 

Xiao MeiLing stared at her son’s troubled face and sighed. I’m sorry ZhanZhan, I did what I thought was right and you’ll have to bear the burden of my mistakes. I hope one day you’ll forgive me. She prayed in her heart before resolving to teach him everything she could for the sake of his survival, even if that meant the end of her own. 

~~~~~

True to her word, Xiao MeiLing led Xiao Zhan within sight of Ba Sing Se, but not close enough to indicate that they’d be going there. The towering walls of weathered beige looked daunting even from a distance and Xiao Zhan could see how they could become trapped there. In the middle of a desert, they’d be hard pressed to find water and the sheer size of the walls meant the population was surely dense. Still, he had to admit, he’d like to be trapped there if it meant it’d be safe, but he knew it wouldn’t be. So they forged onwards. 

The first town the settled in didn’t last long. The village of He Zhen* was an obscure one but close enough to Ba Sing Se. It sat near a strait from the ocean that could give the fire nation easy access to the major city for reinforcements, which meant that soldiers of the fire nation would raid the place from time to time, for no other reason than they could and it could be useful in the future. It was one of those times a few weeks into their stay that had them fleeing yet again. They lived in what could only be described as a shack at the edge of town with barely waterproof roofing and molding walls, but Xiao Zhan dubbed it home because that’s what he needed then; a place to call home. His mother had been going to the market, attempting to sell some fish she’d caught at a nearby river. They weren’t going for much, but it afforded them rent for the shabby shack anyways. They had to conserve their major funds for the future. It was dusk when the small group of soldiers created the horizon, lighting it up in a swath of fire. Old residents fled immediately, knowing what would come if they stayed. Xiao Zhan, well, he was inside, unaware of the danger near his doorstep. He heard the shouts soon, the pouring of footsteps, the bleating of animals startled by the flame, and he felt the heat as the walls around him caught flame. He’d stared at them in shock, thinking it was a mistake, but when his mother burst through the door, grabbing his arm and yanking him out while they both choked on smoke, reality became clearer. He tumbled out the door, the right side of his shirt a flame from brushing against those livid beings of fire had him crying and swatting at his side despite the incessant stinging pain. His mother had grabbed their still packed belongings and they fled as well. 

Xiao MeiLing kept a hard pace, only letting up when her son collapsed with a fever and tears streaming from his eyes as she didn’t even realize he had been injured, too frantic to get away with him to check his well-being. She found a stream and healed his wounds, but there’d be a scar. There was no helping that. 

~~~~~

The second town of GaoLing* lasted longer, almost two years when the war was finished. They established a decent stall to trade fish and lived in a modest apartment inside the city that wasn’t falling apart. However, they soon arrived. MeiLing didn’t know how she knew they were water tribe, but she knew. Maybe it was their lilting accents, maybe it was their piercing stares that seemed able to tell any secret from you. Maybe it was their pale skin from living so far from the soon for so long. She had seen them, making their way to each and every stall, inquiring something. She’d seen enough and packed up her stall early and raced home. She barged in on her house to her son’s room merely full of the books she’d given him to study for his water bending lessons as well as other things normally taught in schools. However, Xiao Zhan was nowhere to be found. 

Frantically, she threw their important things into a bag and set out in search of her son. 

He was in the field, playing with a friend he’d made while roaming the streets. MeiLing couldn’t remember the girls name, but right now it wasn’t important. She stormed over to where they were playing and picked her son up by his arm. Xiao Zhan looked up at her in shock, his body immediately going on the defense like she’d been training him, but he relaxed when he saw it was his mother. At least, he was relaxed until he saw how livid her face was. She pulled him away and he complied silently, taking one last look at the girl, Xuan Lu, who he’d called a friend and had a growing sense of dread knowing he wouldn’t see her again. 

~~~~~

They decided that being directly in the town was a bad idea. They decided to build a house a decent enough distance hidden away from a village where they could hunt and train without being bothered, but go to town for trading and the like. Xiao Zhan wouldn't attend school, not that he really had before, but his mother taught him everything from bending to writing to maths and it didn't matter. If he made friends, he would just have them taken away again. He told himself he was better off alone.

They set up near the town of Fu Jing* that was surrounded by a vast forest with a quaint spring running through it. They built a little cabin and called it home. This was what Xiao Zhan called JiaSi* as of course, it was the fourth of its kind to him. This is where he would spend the majority of his life. They went to the town to trade fish and herbs, but most of the time they stayed where they were, hunting and gathering for themselves while MeiLing trained her son.

The first thing she taught him was healing. What better way to know the best ways to hurt someone than to know how to heal them first? Xiao Zhan quickly got the hang of it an excelled. They'd find wounded animals and heal them near the stream. Then, he was taught how to fight. He had been trained in martial arts since he was in Agne Qel'a and it definitely helped. He knew the basics of sword and was quite good with a bow after all the hunting he did, which meant that he picked up the waterbending fighting easily. He was soon as good if not better than his mother and they may have taken large swaths of land out in the process.

Then, came bloodbending. This, was the worst. They started out on the full moons, first Xiao MeiLing controlled her son. He was terrified afterwards and couldn't stop shaking. The next full moon, she made him do it to one of the animals. Xiao Zhan had a hard time getting it right at first. He tried it out on a bird and somehow twisted its foot so it shrieked. He had thrown up and cried as he tried to heal the bird's leg. It worked, but the bird didn't return again. Slowly, MeiLing would make him control the animals from the full moon until new moon, when the moon was completely obscured by darkness. Normally, it wasn't possible to do this, but with the strength of Xiao Zhan's potential combined with the careful tutelage of MeiLing, he was slowly able to grasp it. He hated every second of it. Hated the feeling of controlling other creatures, forcing them to move where they didn't want to. He worked hard in the day to make up for what he did at night.

After many years of living their peacefully, MeiLing was still wary and still never spilled the secret of what had happened to her son. She had watched him play with the animals, heal them, feed them, but she could see the loneliness in his eyes. She saw when he gazed off into the distance towards Fu Jing a look of longing, but he was ever obedient and never asked for more than what he already had. It was when he was 17 in the year 110AG that she finally took the initiative to tell him. However, she knew she couldn't just tell him. She had seen the warning signs. They were closing in. She needed to protect her son one last time.

It was late at night when MeiLing woke Xiao Zhan from a rare night off from practice. He was already a master, but she needed to give him one more lesson before the inevitable. Xiao Zhan woke up with a start and watched his mother beckon him into the half-moon light of the still night. She stood near the stream and beckoned him forward again. She looked at him and said "Bloodbend me."

Xiao Zhan froze, looking to his mother in shock. How could she expect him to do that? She couldn't really mean it? Right? Wrong. She kicked a whip of water at his head and Xiao Zhan rolled to dodge. Her water attacks were relentless, leaving the small cabin and its surrounding lands in slices quickly filling with mud and water. Horrified, Xiao Zhan tried to use his own water attacks to fend off his mother's but it was useless. She taught him everything he knew; she knew exactly what he would do at any given time. Xiao Zhan dodged as he watched the home he'd been at the longest lose its shape, its waterproof roof, sturdy walls, and animals scurried into the brush. One of MeiLing's ice bullets scrape the leg of a fleeing rabbit. He heard its tiny whimper and something possess Xiao Zhan. He threw out his hands towards his mother, and bent her blood. He twisted her blood to coil inside of her, preventing her muscles from moving. Her lungs stopped and her eyes widened in shock as she choked. She felt her legs move away from the stream and towards a tree where she found her hands soon punching it without her knowledge of control. She felt the knuckles go raw and bleed as her son made her punch the tree until her hands were broken. He looked down at her and blanched.

Xiao Zhan took a step back, looking at his mother, before turning to the side and throwing up. He fell to his knees and retched while his mother collapsed on the ground. Tears streamed from his eyes as he pounded the mushy ground below him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I don't want to! I'm sorry!"

Xiao MeiLing smiled. She had taught him the lesson he had to know; that bloodbending was powerful, a last ditch effort, but its effects were terrifying and deadly and should not be used carelessly. She said these words to him, but whether they reached him or not she didn't know as he had collapsed on his side from exhaustion. Xiao MeiLing stood up and cleared her house of the few belongings she'd need, made sure the letter she wrote was near her son, and she left.

~~~~~

When Xiao Zhan woke up, it was to sun streaming through the trees, but no birds were singing. He lifted his head and looked around his home before the tears came back and he looked down at his muddied hands in disgust. He'd heard his mother's words, but why did she have to teach him like that? WHY? It felt like the mud on his hands was blood, but he knew he couldn't wash it off. He'd just have to keep hiding. That's what they'd done for so long. Xiao Zhan found the note addressed to him, but refused to open it. He packed his stuff and the letter and set off, knowing his mother was no where to be found. He would make a new start in another village. JiaWu* was his next goal. He had to vigilant and watch out for those who might look for him if they couldn't find his mother. He had to and besides, he was better off alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He Zhen - River town. I'm very clever I know. I had a hard time finding settlements mentioned in avatar that would have a reason for the fire nation to attack them. I made the fact that the fire nation wanted this town up, they just flew over everything in the show though. I just thought if they had navy backup, it'd be good to secure the small strait near Ba Sing Se for their goals. Anyways, they didn't stay long, but poor ZhanZhan got hurt :( will be brought up later, y'know? 
> 
> GaoLing - the city where Toph is originally from. It says they tend to have a population of people who have lived their for many generations with the wealthy estates, such as the BeiFong's around the outskirts. I just thought that the geography was what I was going for. Not too close to the eventual rise of Republic city, so they can have a fresh start. 
> 
> Fu Jing - Rich Spirit/Mind. Just thought it was good to have a good name for the place Xiao Zhan kinda learns everything, although he might not like the place after everything that happened. 
> 
> JiaSi - home 4. 
> 
> JiaWu - home 5.
> 
> Next chapter: Wang Yibo growing up. More angst. So sorry. But the chapter after that, I PROMISE will be them getting to Republic City and possibly meeting. We'll see!
> 
> If anyone has a good map of the Avatar world with like, labels, or clear number, I would simp so hard for you. I need it. I can’t see the numbers on the map on the forums so I have to click all of the links on all the cities and read about them and gosh, I'm trying my best. 
> 
> If you guys have any ideas for some future plots, interactions or character appearances for this story, let me know! I’d love to be able to include fan suggestions into this story! Much love <3


	4. Better off Alone: Part 2 - Wang Yibo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! I've had writers block for so long on this one. I will probably reveal more about Yibo's traumas in the future, but for now, I really felt like I needed to get this out and start the next chapter which I have had ideas coming to me for weeks and I felt unable to write them because I needed to do this chapter.
> 
> I'm smart. Thank you for you patience and I hope you enjoy!

Young children are raised on fairy tales and lullabies, both of which can provide comfort, and on occasion, moral development. When Wang Yibo's mother put him to sleep, these are the stories and songs she gave to him. When his father put him to sleep, there were no lullabies and the stories were gory and filled with morals like "take what you want no matter what", "No mercy", and "No survivors". They scared him to say the least, especially the one of 4 boys pitted against each other for survival, ending in much death.*

Those nights, he'd lie awake, silently singing the lullabies his mother had sung to him to stop the tears, but unable to seek his mother's comfort for fear of his father's flame.

~~~~~

Wang Yibo had been able to produce flames at a very young age with little to no training. It wasn't surprising, as emotions definitely contributed to a firebender's abilities, but he seemed to have precision and understood what he was doing even through his emotions. So of course, everyone knew he'd take over for his father and work as a high rankning admiral or maybe even a close firebender to the Fire Lord. Many people reminded him of this fate everyday, but if the stories he was told by his dad were what he looked forward to, he wanted nothing to do with that future. Of course, he couldn't let anyone else know that, so he strived to learn as much as he could about firebending theory as fast and well as possible so that he could maybe make his own path.

However, he was forced into training as soon as he was able to walk, so mastering the theoretical had more or less become an escape from the torture of the training sessions with his father or his father's chosen masters. The more complicated practices needed more theoretical knowledge anyways, despite only being about 3 years old at the time, he worked tirelessly to master everything he could. If he didn't… well… the bruises the morning after were to be expected. It was weird though, because his father and the advisors did not burn him as punishment. They seemed to want to keep him unblemished. Maybe so he didn't seem disobedient to future employers.. Like the Fire Lord.

Whatever the case may be, he disliked the beatings and avoided others as much as possible, worried that he would disappoint them somehow which would result in a beating. When he perfected a move, his father would further his instruction by telling him more horrific stories, detailing how best to use each move, to incapacitate, mutilate, or kill his enemies. No survivors. No mercy.

After those "successful" training sessions, he'd go to bed, and his mother would come in and sing him lullabies, but somehow, they felt less fantastical and more like lies, because he was slowly realizing that the world was more like his father's stories than him mother's, but Wang Yibo desperately held onto every word his mother graced him with, and silently hoped for a new chance at a different future than the one he was heading for. 

~~~~~

That future was granted, or so Yibo thought, when his father was arrested. It was quickly shattered when his father disappeared. Yibo was only three, but his mother hid him away from the world, despite herself being shunned. What kind of a woman would marry such a monster? The people would throw things at her, and spit in her face. She of course took the money her husband had abandoned in his haste and supported them as best she could. At least now she didn't have to see her husband whittle away at their son's soul to make him emotionless, although some damage was already done, and others could easily inflict more…

When the boy was six, as all boys must, he was enrolled in school. His mother wanted more than anything to homeschool him, but Yibo insisted that he didn't want to stay cramped up in the house any longer. They had already moved out of the giant home and lived in a modest two roomed apartment. It was like a prison cell to him. His mother and him would argue and eventually, she felt too guilty to not relent. 

Too bad it was doomed to end in hurt. 

When the boy went to school, it was a pleasant experience at first. He smiled shyly and got along with a few people, but after introducing himself, they always questioned if he was related to "that admiral 'Wang Chen'" and Yibo, not knowing the reason everyone was curious, confirmed the truth. That was the mistake he made, but the mistake all other people made was assuming more than they should have about a six year old boy.

As he was walking home, he didn't know that rumors had spread all throughout the school of who his father was, resulting in a group of older boys following him discreetly through the crowded streets of Fire Nation Capital City. Turning down an alley, Yibo realized he probably took a wrong turn somewhere, as he didn't know the streets well, considering he had been stuck inside for many years, only able to read books about firebending to master the theory until now. 

He realized too late though. The alley was a dead end, and he had headed back towards the entrance, but was immediately blocked by the group of boys who he didn't even know the name of, let alone the faces of. 

"Are you Wang Yibo? The bastard of the General?"

Bastard? He wasn't a bastard.

"Your father killed how many people? His atrocities make the Fire Nation look worse than reality."

What are they talking about? Yibo didn't get a chance to ask before he was roughly pushed so his back could slam into the wall where his head bounced with a dull thunk. 

Suddenly, a flurry of fists and feet were being hurled at the small boy who crumpled to the ground. The boys may not be strong, nor know firebending well, but they were bigger than him, and it hurt. At first, Yibo had wanted to fight back. He knew he probably could, but there was the voice of his mother telling him not to treat others wrongly while his father's voice told him, no mercy. There was turmoil in himself as he could feel his fire trying to breach the surface. All the while, they shouted all the atrocities that he did. How he burned villages and children and everything, and each utterance had Yibo fighting his father's urgings more. 

No. I don't want to be like him. No one should want to be like him. Then why are these people hurting me? They're being like him. I should fight them for being like him, right? No, they're kids, but we're all just kids. What do I do?

Unfortunately, the questions were answered for him and a pair of hands roughly grabbed his neck and choked him while backing him up through the alley. Yibo stumbled, unable to see where he was going. He tripped over a pair of cellar doors made of iron that were thrown open. The boys grabbed him again, hitting him hard in the stomach to make him double over and spit up blood before shoving him into the cellar, closing the doors with a clang as he rolled to the bottom of the steps. Above him, Yibo heard the scraping of something and assumed it must be some sort of lock, but he wasn't sure. It was far too dark to see anything.

He could hear the muffled laughter of the boys before silence enveloped him. Yibo coughed and choked, trying to conjure a small flame from his finger to light the room, but found himself unable to. Why? This was one of the most basic moves! Why couldn't he use it!? He thought in a panic, feeling like the unseen walls were closing in around him and the hands of the people who hurt him, including his father were grasping at his skin and clothes. Fear cycled through him and panic set in, constricting his lungs. He curled in on himself and panted, feeling tears wet his cheek, unable to conjure any noise through the dryness in his throat. 

Yibo couldn't produce a flame, and his beaten body was left trembling at the bottom of a cellar, cold, alone, and in the dark. 

As he laid there, he thought of his father and realized the expectations once placed on him and felt sick. If that was his destiny, to hurt everyone in sight, he was better off alone.

~~~~~

When the sun went down and the stars came up and the moon replaced the sun as the source of light in the sky, a woman ran through the streets, calling out a name. 

"Yibo!"

She's run and shout and people would ask her what happened and she'd ask if they'd seen her son, and they hadn't, but other just closed their shutters.

She ran to the school and traced the route, until she thought he might've gotten lost and started to wander off course, checking alleys and the like, until she saw from the light of her oil lamp, a cellar locked closed by a wooden board. She scrambled to pull the board out, getting splinters as she ripped and used all her strength to slam the doors open. The dim light illuminated the trembling figure at the bottom flinched from the loud noise, and tears welled in her eyes as she recognized the beaten figure of her son. 

She stepped down under the ground and set the light on the floor, intending to scoop her baby up, but even as she whispered sweet nothings and brought her hand to his back, he flinched. She reared back in shock, terrified she'd hurt him, but he was passed that pain now. Now he just didn't want to be touched. This ideology would follow him for a long time and solidify the idea that he was better off alone.

Despite his protests and shaking and aversion to touch, she managed to get him home. She cleaned his wounds and watched over him as she slept, keeping him at home for the rest of the day, until a letter came, summoning them to the school.

They had no choice but to go. 

~~~~~

The woman held her son's hand as he trudged shakily behind her, allowing himself to be led to the school where he knew he was about to be punished again. He didn't struggle. He had no more strength to struggle.

The principal and many high ranking looking officials. They kneeled in the center of the courtyard and bowed their heads to those above them on the steps.

"Are you the wife of Admiral Chan?"

"Yes sir."

"Did you know your son brawled with some older boys yesterday and even burned them?"

"No sir. I was not aware this was the situation." She knew it wasn't the situation at all, all too aware how the boys tracked him down and beat him. But that was neither here nor there, for she was in no position to argue. 

"Hmph. Such improper breeding shouldn't be allowed in our school. He could have hurt one of the students. Therefore, I have no choice but to expel your son from this school. I have also taken the opportunity to send home a newsletter describing the reason for the attack on these boys being the unknowing acceptance of someone bred from such a monster."

The woman nodded and stared at her son, who was staring at the ground blankly. They'd have to leave. Everyone would know. She had kept them hidden for so long, keeping a low profile, but in the matter of a day it was destroyed, and her husband's notoriety would have them shunned even further. Without much more to say, the woman and boy bowed and left in a hurry to gather their things and vacate their home before they were unable to escape a mob of angry citizens.

~~~~~

The spread rapidly, causing the two to have to flee the city under the cover of night. Yibo was still recovering from his wounds, but without proper care, it wasn't surprising that they lasted for a lot longer than they should have and resulted in an infection. 

On the streets and in the wilderness were the only places they could live, the possibility of being recognized becoming too great in the capital city. Using the only money they had for proper medicine for Yibo had them struggling for food each and everyday. They'd go into towns and beg discreetly before returning to a small cave out in the mountains where Yibo practiced firebending as much as he could with the texts he remembered. 

Without much food, Yibo was growing to be more delicate, finding it harder each day to do the bending required, and they both found it harder to earn money even at small jobs they were able to scrap together. Even after they weren't likely to be recognized anymore, there was still no where for them to go.

They saved money to book passage to the Earth Kingdom in hope of a new start, but this new start was proving tough as Yibo's mother's health began to fail. She grew thinner and thinner, sicker and sicker, until one night, as she counted the money, and coughed up blood. She knew then that she wouldn't be able to make the trip with her son, and they'd only saved up enough to book passage for one person. So she did what any mother would do, and put her son first. 

She collected her things and folded them neatly, writing a note for her son and leaving it on her bed while he slept. She placed all of her belongings together, including the notebook she'd been working on since he was a young boy to try and guide him in the future. She kissed his head as a single teardrop fell onto his cheek and fled into the night, never to be seen again.

When Yibo woke up, he knew right away what his mother had done, and for a second he was thankful, until only despair coursed through his veins. He angrily packed his things and left for the docks to book passage to the Earth Kingdom. It didn't matter now. He was used to pain. He would get hurt all the time bending or doing those odd jobs or when someone decided to beat them for begging, he could handle the pain of his mother leaving. He could start a new life, where no one would even think that he was the son of a monster. At least, not if he picked a new name. 

He stared at the shore disappearing from his sight and bit his cheeks to prevent the tears from falling. He'd have to start this new chapter of his life at the tender age of 13 the same way he'd felt all these years, completely alone.

But it's fine.. As long as he doesn't live up to his father's "legacy", he's better off alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Reference to Chapter 2
> 
> Thank you for reading! They've updated the map on the Wiki, so it's a little less shit, but still not great. I didn't do too much with the lore or geography because I struggled so much with this chapter. Sorry it wasn't one of my best. 
> 
> Next Chapter: Getting to Republic City, and probably their first meeting, although only briefly. ;) <3333

**Author's Note:**

> Agna Qel'a - The capital city of the Northern Water Tribe in the North Pole where Aang and Katara learned waterbending. Attacked by the Fire Nation in the last few episodes of season 1, book of water. 
> 
> If you haven't seen the show, you should watch it as I do mention a few things in here such as the Spirit Oasis which was basically a pond that contained Koi fish which were the spiritual embodiments of the moon and the ocean that gave the world waterbending. Complicated, I know. If you haven’t watched it or don’t want to, I’ll explain things as beat I can. 
> 
> Xiao MeiLing - characters are 肖美玲 - Pronounced Xiào MěiLíng - means to be beautiful and delicate. 玲 means something closer to "the tinkling of gem-pendants" like chimes I guess? So it's supposed to be delicate, y'know? 
> 
> 肖 - Pronounced Xiào - means resemble, be like, or similar  
> 小 - Pronounced Xiǎo - means little or small  
> 战 - Pronounced Zhàn - means war  
> 肖小 - Pronounced XiàoXiǎo - made up name that probably doesn't make sense to anyone who actually speaks Chinese. I'm still learning. Supposed to mean "Be like 'little'" This is just a nickname. Not really going to be mentioned again.  
> 肖战 - Pronounced Xiào Zhàn - means to be like war
> 
> Some names will have the correct tones to begin with, then I'll probably start ignoring the tones as I have to keep switching my keyboards and not everyone cares to pronounce the tones in an English fanfiction. They won't be too confusing though, and most other names will simply not be given their intended tones. I won't explain every name I come up with, just a few that are important and maybe in the future I'll add a chapter of like, notes or something with name explanations for the others. The main characters' names meanings will probably be referenced in the future, that's why I described them here.
> 
> According to the Wikipedia, "AG" is used to basically start the 100 year war after the fire nation attacked and destroyed all of the air nomads in a genocide. AG probably means "After Genocide"
> 
> I've used the lore I found to start and will use it throughout, but I've taken some liberties as well. Hope they're acceptable. See you again soon with Wang Yibo's family background! 
> 
> Comments and feedback always welcome!


End file.
